Tag Archives: John

for Sunday, April 27, 2014
2nd Sunday of Easter
Year A
lectionary focus: John 20:19-31

Welcome!

The other day I was working at my computer. I stopped to think for a few minutes and found myself staring out the window. I can see a big tree from there. Its leaves are new and just unfolded. As I watched, it looked like the tree was dancing! The branches were swaying slightly and the leaves were wiggling, popping up and down and all around. Now, we know that the tree was not dancing. We know that the branches and leaves were being moved by the wind. And yet, we can see the tree and leaves, but we cannot see the wind. We know the wind is there by seeing what the wind does.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter. Alleluia! (Alleluia!) The mystery and joy of Easter are so great that we cannot celebrate it all in just one Sunday. In our Bible story today, Jesus is risen from the dead and has been visiting with the disciples. But one disciple was not there: Thomas. We don’t know exactly why he wasn’t there, but we do hear that when the disciples told Thomas about seeing Jesus, Thomas had some trouble believing. The mystery and joy of Easter was too great for him. He wanted to see Jesus, too. He wanted to touch Him. The Bible story goes on that Thomas does get to see Jesus. Jesus is not angry or disappointed that Thomas hesitated to believe the others; Jesus simply reaches out to Thomas, saying, “Do not doubt but believe.” I have felt like Thomas. How nice it would be to see Jesus walk into my house. How nice to touch Him and hear His voice.

But when I think about the wind, I know I don’t have to see Jesus to believe. Just as I know the wind is there by seeing what the wind does, I look around for what Jesus does. All of the things around us: smiling people, flowers, the blue sky, sunshine, rain, friends, doughnuts, family, ways for us to help others, singing, a phone call, a good book, learning, laughing, loving; all of these things show us that we don’t need to see Jesus. We see His world. We see His love. We see Jesus by seeing what His love does. Jesus simply reaches out to us through all that is around us, saying, “Believe.”

Our Lord, our God. He is with us. He is in us. His love is our world. Let us continue to rejoice in the mystery and joy of Easter.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
that we see Your love
all around us.
Help us
to help others
see Your love
all around them.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

for Sunday, April 20, 2014 Resurrection of the Lord Easter Day Year A lectionary focus: John 20:1-18

Happy Easter! Alleluia! (Alleluia!) Look at all of the flowers! We have filled so many vases! The flowers make the sanctuary look lovely, and after our service, we will deliver them to members of our church family who are sick and ill and cannot be here today. Thank you for sharing with them in this way.

The flowers you have brought come from many places. Some of you got them at the store, some from the farmers’ market, some from your yard, some from your gardens. But each of them came from God’s earth. Flowers are part of plants. Flowers have the important job of making seeds; the seeds are how the plant makes more plants. And each year, each plant makes more flowers to make more seeds. Flowers are part of the beautiful cycle of God’s green earth. Flowers are God’s beautiful creations. And flowers make people smile.

Today is Easter Sunday. Alleluia! (Alleluia!) The Easter story begins with Jesus’s friends being sad. Jesus has died on the cross. The women are going to the cemetery to finish the funeral service. When they get there, something seems very wrong. The stone door has been moved and the tomb is empty. Jesus’s friends think someone has taken the body of Jesus. There is much confusion. Mary stands there in the cemetery, crying and frustrated. She sees a man. Mary thinks He must be the gardener…

Now we know that a gardener’s job is make sure the plants have what they need to grow and bloom and be beautiful. Gardeners work hard to make sure the plants are well cared for. Our Bible story today does not describe the cemetery, so I don’t know if the first Easter was abloom with so many flowers like our sanctuary today. But when Mary thinks that Man is just the gardener, she is wrong…but she is right. That Man, of course, is Jesus, alive, risen from the dead. That Man is not the gardener of the cemetery; that Man is Jesus, the gardener of the whole world, and we are His flowers. Jesus cares for us, making sure we have what we need to grow and bloom and be beautiful. You are each God’s beautiful creation. And Jesus is the Gardener who cares for us.

During the past few weeks as we have prepared for the mystery and joy of Easter, we have practiced Almsgiving. We have shared items with those in need that they may know God’s love. Today is Easter. Alleluia! (Alleluia!) Today is why we are here every Sunday. Today Jesus overcame all of the sorrow and cruelty and trouble of the world so that we live beautiful, everlasting lives. Today we begin the Seven Sundays of Easter…because Easter is too big to celebrate for just one Sunday. Today we are overcome by the mystery and joy of Easter. And today we reach out again with almsgiving; we share these flowers here in these vases, but we also pledge to continue sharing ourselves. Mary was right. Jesus is the Gardener of the whole world. We are His beautiful flowers, here to share His love and make others smile.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for the flowers.
Thank You
for being our Gardener.
Help us
to continue sharing Your love
throughout Easter,
throughout our lives,
in the garden of Your world.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

for Sunday, April 6, 2014 5th Sunday in Lent Year A lectionary focus: John 11:1-45 note: This is part of our Lenten Series on Almsgiving. As another option to the Humane Society, we looked for an organization that supports Guide Animals, but could not find a local one that needed our assistance.

During Lent our Almsgiving has focused on helping people. We’ve given bread and socks and eyeglasses and money to help provide clean water. Today our almsgiving goes to help animals. Like people, sometimes animals need help. Dogs and cats may have to go to an animal shelter and wait for a new family to give them a home. A few weeks ago my friend Jill and her family adopted a puppy. Now their home is busy with Harvey; walking him and feeding him and playing with him. We say that they are training him, but most of the time it is the puppy training the family how to care for him. Jill said that it was hard at the animal shelter to decide which puppy to adopt; they wanted to take them all! But their home could not handle 35 puppies and 13 cats. They chose Harvey and now their home is alive with puppy.

In our Bible Story today, one of Jesus’s best friends, Lazarus, is dying. Everyone is sad and has gathered together. Everyone, except Jesus. Jesus takes so long to arrive that in fact, Lazarus dies before He gets there. Lazarus’s sisters are hurt and upset. Jesus says to them, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus does a great miracle: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus comes out of the tomb, comes back to life, because Jesus calls him to live. This miracle is amazing and one we would all like to see. The thing is, every day, Jesus calls each of us to live. Every day, Jesus calls us to come out into the world, and we answer this miraculous call to life by caring for each other.

Today our caring extends to the animals of God’s world. Some people may think it odd we are helping animals. But when God created the world, God made us responsible for taking care of each other and of all creation. Like people, sometimes animals need our help. We can’t adopt all of the dogs and cats, but our gifts today support the shelters that help the animals until they find their new best friends. We are answering Jesus’s call to live by helping God’s creation…the people creations and the animal creations. Thank you for sharing in God’s miracle of life.

Next Sunday is called Palm Sunday and we begin what is called Holy Week…the week leading us to Easter Sunday. Next week, we ask that you bring what we call toiletries. No, not a toilet like in the bathroom, but toiletries, items we use in the bathroom to make our bodies clean: soap and shampoo and toothpaste and brushes and lotions. Come and see how these gifts help share God’s love and make others feel welcomed.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for Your people.
Thank You
for Your animals.
Blessing our gifts
as we answer Your call
to live
to love
to share in the miracle of life.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

for Sunday, March 30, 2014 4th Sunday in Lent Year A lectionary focus: John 9:1-41 note: This is part of our Lenten Almsgiving Series; you will need a basket to collect the eyeglasses. We will be giving the old prescription lens to our local Lions Club and the new reading glasses to one of our shelters. The opening story will work with eyeglasses or sunglasses.

Welcome! See all of the eyeglasses! Thank you! Thank you! Here put them in this basket. Wow. So many for our almsgiving. Thank you.

Yesterday I went looking for my own glasses. Since I only need them to read and see things up close, I put them down and sometimes forget where they are. I looked beside the bed because I had used them reading the night before. Not there. I looked in my purse. Not there. I looked in the kitchen. Not there. I looked beside the computer. Not there. So I went to my husband and said, “Have you seen my glasses? I can’t find them anywhere!” And Mr. Bill said, “I see them. They are on top of your head.” (You can act this out and end with them on top of your head.)

In our Bible story today, Jesus heals a man who was blind, someone who had never been able to see his whole life. This miracle caused quite a stir. The people argued about how it had happened and when it had happened and who was this Jesus. But the man who had been blind was not confused. He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he praised Jesus.

Seeing with our eyes is important. Through our eyes, we see where we are going and what we are doing and whom we are with. But Jesus did not work just to heal those blind in their eyes. Jesus lived His life that we all are able to see the Kingdom of God with our hearts. Jesus is the light of the world, and through His teachings and blessings and love, we each are able to see with our hearts all of the beauty of God’s world around us. And seeing God’s world, we want to share God’s love with each other.

Today we have collected eyeglasses. As tools, these will help others see with their eyes more clearly; as gifts, these will help others see God’s love with their hearts. Thank you for your almsgiving that we all might see and share God’s Kingdom.

Next Sunday, we will hear a story about a best friend so we are asking you to bring dog food and cat food and pet treats.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

for Sunday, March 23, 2013 3rd Sunday in Lent Year A lectionary focus: John 4:5-42 notes: Have extra cups (and extra cups of coins) ready before the service. We are using Red cups for accent.

Welcome!

Look at all the Cups of Coins! Everybody rattle your coins in your cups! Such a joyful noise! Now everybody pour your coins into this big basket. What a marvelous sound! It is so loud and tinkly. (Collect all of the coins into one big basket; you might want to have an older youth collect the now empty cups to keep them from being a distraction.) But these Cups of Coins don’t sound anything like water, do they?

Our Bible Story today sounds like it is about water. In the Gospel of John, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well, the place where the people get their water since they don’t have sinks with faucets. Every day the people have to go to the well to get water that they use for drinking and cooking. Every day. Back and Forth. Jesus points out to the woman that everyone who drinks the water from the well will be thirsty again. Then Jesus tells her that He has Living Water, water that becomes in us a spring gushing up to eternal life.

Like our Cups of Coins, this Living Water doesn’t sound like water at all.

Many times in the Bible, stories speak of one thing but mean something else. In this story, Jesus says Living Water, but He is really talking about God’s love. Our bodies need water to live; each day we get thirsty to remind ourselves to drink what our bodies need. But we also need God’s love. And the joy Jesus shares is this, we are never without God’s love. God’s love fills us like a big, old bucket that never empties. God’s love just grows more and more. The more of God’s love that we share, the more of God’s love that we experience. Living Water is really Living Love.

The Cups of Coins that you brought today will be used to share water AND God’s love. There are people around the world who do not have the clean drinking water our bodies need. We will send our Cups of Coins to Living Waters for the World. Through this organization, we will help dig wells in these communities. Through this organization, we will share God’s love. Today your almsgiving gives others what they need: water for living and living water. I like the sound of that. Thank you.

Next Sunday, we ask you to bring eyeglasses: either old prescription glasses that are no longer needed or a pair of new reading glasses that you choose from the store. We will SEE how those connect with our Bible story next week.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for water to drink.
Thank You
for water to live.
Thank You
for Your love
that never ends.
Bless those
who need drinking water
that we may also show them
Your endless love.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

for Sunday, January 19, 2014 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Second Sunday after Epiphany Year A lectionary focus: John 1:29-42

Hello!

This weekend we are celebrating the life and work of a man who lived a long time ago; not as long ago as Jesus, but back when your grandparents were young. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a preacher who wanted the world to be a better place where people are kind to each other no matter where they come from or how they look. Dr. King travelled around the country and got people talking and marching and doing work to make changes. Dr. King gave a now-famous speech where he shared his dream of a beautiful world…a beautiful world where different people sit at the table together; where there is freedom and justice for everyone; where the glory of the Lord shall be seen by all together. But his words were not just painting a picture for our minds, he was asking us to come and be a part of the work of sharing God’s love. Though that speech is fifty years old, Dr. King’s words still invite us to be part of the work to make that dream real every day.

In our Bible story today, Jesus is beginning His ministry. People are curious and want to know what is happening, what is He doing, who is He? Jesus give a simple but beautiful answer, “Come and see.” Jesus doesn’t answer with lots of words describing this and that. Jesus invites people to come and see what is happening, to come and be a part of the action, to come and do the work of sharing God’s love. Jesus knows that actions speak louder than words…and so He invites us to be a part of the action, part of the doing. Come and see; come and do!

This weekend, as we celebrate Dr. King and his work, we are reminded that Jesus continues to call us to do God’s work. Sharing God’s love is not just something from long ago in the Bible or even fifty years ago, but something of now, today, tomorrow…every day of your life and beyond. We are invited. Now let’s see how you will come and make the world a more beautiful place through sharing God’s love.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for inviting me
to be a part of Your beautiful world.
Help me
to make the dream be real
now
and tomorrow.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Today we meet again around our creche. We spent the Season of Advent lighting candles and gathering the figures of the animals and Mary and Joseph. Then on Christmas, we lit the Christ candle and placed the figures of the shepherds and sheep and angels and the Baby Jesus. We said that our creche was complete. And yet today, we are adding more figures. Whoa! Wait! What? Today we celebrate Epiphany–the day the Wise Men came to honor the Baby Jesus. They did not arrive as quickly as the shepherds because the Wise Men travelled by camel, a very cool, but very slow way to move. Here are their figures. Pass them around and see how they look with their fine robes and sparkly crowns. The celebration of Epiphany so many days after Christmas reminds us that Christmas is never really completed. Christmas is all about the work of making room for others–not just on one day, but every day. There is always room for more.

Yes, soon we will begin packing up the Christmas decorations and putting away the creche, but Christmas goes on and on even without the decorations. Jesus came to change our lives forever by helping us to discover that we have room to include others and to realize that we have plenty of God’s love to share with others. Now Billy and Bobby and Buddy can find room for the three Wise Men beside the creche. And we can keep room in our hearts.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
that there is more room.
Help me
to do the work of Christmas
and to realize
to discover
and to share
Your love
with others.
Amen

We are not Christians alone. My mission is to share, inspire,and encourage.

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“Take My yoke upon you…” (Matthew 11:29-30)

This website contains a children’s sermon for each Sunday of the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle with posts from July 2011 to July 2014. The Lectionary Date, Scripture, and Keyword Search Indexes will help you navigate and locate appropriate sermons. I will occasionally post new sermons, especially trying to hit the High Holy Days. I love hearing from you and enjoy being a part of this story with you. Thank you for sharing God’s love!
Fran

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